Plant neighbor detection through touching leaf tips precedes phytochrome signals

Plants in dense vegetation compete for resources, including light, and optimize their growth based on neighbor detection cues. The best studied of such behaviors is the shade-avoidance syndrome that positions leaves in optimally lit zones of a vegetation. Although proximate vegetation is known to be...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2012-09, Vol.109 (36), p.14705-14710
Main Authors: de Wit, Mieke, Kegge, Wouter, Evers, Jochem B, Vergeer-van Eijk, Marleen H, Gankema, Paulien, Voesenek, Laurentius A. C. J, Pierik, Ronald
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis of Variance
Arabidopsis - physiology
Arabidopsis - radiation effects
Arabidopsis thaliana
Biological Sciences
Chromatography, Gas
climate
Computer Simulation
ethylene
Ethylenes - metabolism
far-red light
Forest canopy
gene
growth
Leaves
Light
light quality
Light Signal Transduction - physiology
Microarray Analysis
Models, Biological
Optical reflection
perception
petiole elongation
Petioles
Physical Stimulation
phytochrome
Plant biology
Plant competition
Plant Development - physiology
Plant Development - radiation effects
Plant growth
Plant Leaves - physiology
Plants
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
responses
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
shade avoidance
Signal detection
Signal transduction
solar radiation
tobacco
Vegetation
Vegetation canopies
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Summary:Plants in dense vegetation compete for resources, including light, and optimize their growth based on neighbor detection cues. The best studied of such behaviors is the shade-avoidance syndrome that positions leaves in optimally lit zones of a vegetation. Although proximate vegetation is known to be sensed through a reduced ratio between red and far-red light, we show here through computational modeling and manipulative experiments that leaves of the rosette species Arabidopsis thaliana first need to move upward to generate sufficient light reflection potential for subsequent occurrence and perception of a reduced red to far-red ratio. This early hyponastic leaf growth response is not induced by known neighbor detection cues under both climate chamber and natural sunlight conditions, and we identify a unique way for plants to detect future competitors through touching of leaf tips. This signal occurs before light signals and appears to be the earliest means of above-ground plant–plant signaling in horizontally growing rosette plants.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1205437109